Global mainstream filmmaking was in fine form across nearly every genre: musicals, horror films, comedies and science fiction were all incredibly well-represented in 2018.

How good was this cinematic year? Asbury Park Press and USA Today Network features reporter Alex Biese has already ranked his top 10 films of the year, but our staff is now bringing you a look at more awesome movies from 2018 that you need to see.

A Quiet Place

This quiet little movie (pun intended), co-written and directed by and starring John Krasinski along with real-life wife Emily Blunt as parents struggling to survive with their children in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by monsters with sensitive hearing was quite the sleeper hit this past spring.

Sure, the plot has some logic holes when you really think about it, but the movie was engaging, suspenseful and I nearly cried during a pivotal moment near the end.

The film is more about parents watching their children grow and struggling to communicate with them than about any of the monster jump scares, as fun as those can be.

— Felecia Wellington Radel

Drama: "A Star Is Born"(Photo: Clay Enos/Warner Bros.)

A Star is Born

I saw this movie in October and I am still completely wrecked over it.

This is the fourth iteration of this movie (previous versions have starred the likes of Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand) so you would think it would be old and stale by now. But it is quite the opposite.

In his first foray into directing, Bradley Cooper (who also stars in the film) gives us a story that is not only fresh, but hauntingly intimate and emotionally devastating. But most importantly he gives us Lady Gaga, the actress.

We all know her as the pop star in the meat dress but her performance proves once and for all that she is so very much more (and yes, she wrote all over her own songs for the movie).

Avengers: Infinity War

"Avengers: Infinity War" is by no means the best from Marvel Studios — please see: "Captain America: The Winter Solider," "Black Panther" — but for the 19th movie in the studio's Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is certainly one of the most enjoyable. It doesn't hurt that it was one of the top-earning movies of all time.

The film should feel overstuffed with heroes and villains, plot points and catchphrases, but all of the action is balanced, the jokes are funny and the "ending" drew gasps from movie-goers.

I use the term "ending" loosely here because the snap heard around the world will get its conclusion in part 2, "Avengers: Endgame" coming in 2019.

Crazy Rich Asians

We've seen the "meet the parents" comedy plot thousands of times, but never like this. This hilarious and fun film has an all-Asian cast and much of it takes place in Singapore.

While the film revolves around the ultra-rich, consumerism doesn't bog down the plot or insult the middle class, as we've seen in other similar comedies. Constance Wu, known for ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" is delightful, and Michelle Yeoh is always a pleasure to watch.

While I would have loved to see a more racially diverse representation of the people of Singapore, I hope this film is the beginning of a movement. More, please.

Jamie Lee Curtis turns in one of the most crowd-pleasing performances of the year, the heart of a muscular and blood simple work of terror that's the best film to carry the "Halloween" name since the 1977 original.

Mary Poppins Returns

Well this was simply delightful. In a year of existential terror both on the big screen and in the real world, Disney offered up something charming and heartfelt, even essential.

Emily Blunt soars in the title role of the legendary magical nanny, Broadway superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda makes the leap to the big screen with aplomb, and Rob Marshall directs and choreographs the proceedings with a sure hand.

It's perfect family viewing this season, and it's well on its way to becoming a modern classic.

— Alex Biese

Sandra Bullock stars in "Ocean's 8."(Photo: Warner Bros.)

Oceans 8

This was far from the best movie of 2018. In fact, it wouldn't and won't make any lists of the sort. But this was by far the most fun movie I saw this year.

It has all the thrilling, crime-heisty goodness of the original "Oceans" movies, but with the added bonus of being completely female-driven (and a cast that seems to have been created from my deepest fantasies).

Here's to hoping for "Oceans 9" in the future.

— Courtney Marabella

Miles Morales, voiced by Shameik Moore, in a scene from "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."(Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

This one might be the priority must-see of the year.

This movie mixes fantastic animation worthy of the awards nominations it has already received, wonderfully diverse characters, a superhero plot that isn't above poking fun at itself but packs a ton of heart, a soundtrack that's a bop, all the Easter eggs a die-hard fan could ever want and a poignant tribute to Stan Lee.

We didn't need another Spidey origin story (I complain about this all the time; ask my co-workers), but this "verse" is just about perfect.

Anyway, go see it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

— Felecia Wellington Radel

Listen to the Asbury Park Press and USA Today Network's "Fan Theory" podcast's spoiler-free review of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse":

Bruce Springsteen in a scene from "Springsteen on Broadway."(Photo: Courtesy of Kevin Mazur/Netflix)

Fred Rogers seen on the set of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" in "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"(Photo: Jim Judkis/Focus Features)

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

If anyone tells you they didn't cry while watching this, they're either lying or have no heart.

Director Morgan Neville's tender study of public television host Fred Rogers is a gentle testament to the power of decency both in society in general and in the media in particular.

This was without exaggeration one of the most emotionally powerful movie-going experiences I had all year. While the film isn't perfect — the pacing, in particular, feels a bit off in the film's opening and closing acts — this is a story that absolutely needs to be told right now.